The present invention relates generally to the field of patient medical masks, such as oxygen masks, and more particularly to an adapter for patient medical masks that helps cushion and/or insulate the mask against the patient""s face to reduce discomfort.
Medical masks, such as oxygen masks, anesthesia masks, respiratory therapy masks, and the like, have long been known in the art. Such masks are typically either made from a somewhat pliable material and/or include a rim of soft rubber-like material. While such masks have proven medically useful, they have also proven to be uncomfortable to some patients, particularly for long-term use. This is particularly true as many potential measures that could be taken to increase patient comfort may be seen as impeding the critically important operational aspects of the medical mask related to its medical function(s).
As such, there remains a need to improve the comfort level of patient medical masks, particularly for long-term use.
A medical mask assembly of the present invention includes a medical mask and a comfort ring. The medical mask includes an interior surface and an exterior surface and a mating edge where the two meet. The mask is adapted to be applied to a patient""s face proximate the mating edge. The comfort ring includes a portion of cloth material and two elastic members secured to the cloth material. The cloth is formed in the shape of an annular ring with a central aperture therethrough. The cloth includes an inner surface and a preferably soft outer surface, with the inner and outer surfaces meeting at first and second inner edges that generally bound the aperture. One elastic member is secured to the cloth proximate the first inner edge and extends substantially the entire length of the first inner edge. The other elastic member is secured to the cloth proximate the second inner edge and extends substantially the entire length of the second inner edge. The comfort ring is removably mated to the medical mask; and, when mated to the mask, is disposed so as to cover substantially all of the mating edge with one elastic member proximate the interior surface of the medical mask and the other elastic member proximate the exterior surface of the medical mask. As such, the surface touching, the patient""s face is the outer surface of the comfort ring rather than the interior surface and/or rim edge of the mask. Thus, the patient experiences a surface that is softer and/or insulated from the medical mask, and therefore more comfortable.
The reliance on elastic members to mate the comfort ring to the mask allows for the comfort ring to be readily removed therefrom, such as for cleaning and/or replacement. Further, the shape of the comfort ring means that the operations of the medical mask are unaffected by having the comfort ring attached. As such, the medical functions of the mask will be unaffected even when highly untrained personnel, such as family members, add or remove the comfort ring.